IntroductionWhile
it’s a fairly new name to the North American market, Canton has been
producing high-end speakers in Germany since 1972, reportedly capturing
an impressive 25 percent of the German market with its wide variety of
speaker offerings. This review features the Canton Ergo RC-A’s at
$5,000 per pair used as front main loudspeakers, Ergo CM502 center
channel speaker at $800, and the Ergo 302s at $1,400 per pair for rear
surrounds. The Ergo line being reviewed is more traditional then
Canton’s more contemporary Karat line and is a step up from the LE and
Movie series loudspeakers. Both lines share many of theme drivers and
other components and the build quality is the same. I was asked by
Canton to review this system without a separate subwoofer, using the
powered woofers in the RC-A towers to handle the low end.

Canton is a fairly large speaker company, with considerable research
and development resources. I met with Canton’s development manager,
Frank Gobl, who explained Canton’s extensive use of CAD for development
in both mechanical and electronic design of the speaker. Canton
performs extensive simulations of cabinets, driver components and
crossovers, allowing the design team to experiment with numerous design
options. Canton manufactures its own drivers, utilizing a variety of
materials from paper to aluminum manganese. Gobl pointed out that
Canton went into such detail in designing their current line of drivers
that similar sizes and material composition may differ radically in
their geometry and utilize variable material thicknesses to make
similar-appearing drivers perform differently, in order to best suit
their intended purposes. The manufacturing of the speakers and nearly
all components is also done in-house in a large, modern facility. Each
of the one million-plus speakers Canton manufactures each year are
hand-inspected before shipping. Each crossover network must perform
within 0.4dB of the reference specification and the speaker assembly
must test within 1dB.

The
RC-A is the largest and most expensive speaker in the Ergo line and is
the only speaker in the line to feature an internal amplifier. The
three-way system features two active, powered nine-inch polypropylene
woofers above a front-firing port, a one-inch aluminum manganese
tweeter and, at the top of the baffle, a seven-inch aluminum midrange.
The baffle is covered with a felt-like sound-absorbing material that is
normally hidden by a black perforated metal grille. The RC-A measures
45.3 inches tall, 10.2 inches wide and 13.7 inches deep. The 72-pound
cabinet is available in a variety of wood veneer finishes. The review
samples were finished in black ash.

The
back panel features a detachable power cord connection, one
single-ended input, a power switch and a pair of large, sturdy binding
posts on the bottom section. Halfway up the back panel is a cut-out for
the amplifier module. Above the heat sink fins are two knobs and a
toggle switch. The knobs on the amplifier module are for the “RC,” room
correction circuit, and the toggle switch controls the power-on mode
for the amplifier, either manual or auto. The RC circuit allows for
+3.0 dB and - 4.5dB correction below 1,000Hz and –3.0dB to + 1.5dB
above 10 kHz.

This technology, as explained by Gobl,
consists of a filter in the crossover that compensates for the
speakers’ low-frequency roll-off, extending response up to one octave,
minimizing subsonic energy and unnecessary driver excursion.

The SC technology 250-watt amplifier and nine-inch drivers help the
RC-A reach down to the rock bottom low end of 18Hz. While I was
initially skeptical of this claim, the RC-As substantiated it in my
listening tests. While the RC-As are capable of sound reproduction
below 20Hz, their displacement control prevents the woofers from
attempting to produce signals below their range, reducing unwanted
harmonic distortion while working in conjunction with the “SC” circuit
to provide smooth response down to the lower limits.

The
CM502 and 302 speakers are relatively simple in comparison to the
RC-As. The CM502 center channel speaker measures 20 inches wide, nine
inches high and 11.3 inches deep, with a perforated metal grille
covering two five-inch aluminum drivers, which flank a one-inch
aluminum manganese tweeter. The rear panel features a port immediately
above the single pair of binding posts. The 302 is a solid, fairly
large “bookshelf” speaker, measuring 15.7 inches high, 12.1 inches deep
and eight-and-three-quarters-inches wide, weighing just under 20
pounds. The driver complement
on this bass reflex speaker is a one-inch aluminum manganese tweeter
above an eight-inch aluminum driver. The 302 is rear-ported and sports
two pairs of binding posts that allow for bi-wiring if so desired. All
of the cabinets appear to be solidly manufactured.

Set-upI
connected all the speakers in a single-wire mode (as opposed to a
bi-wire connection). I then connected the LFE output of my processor
into the back of the RC-As and finally plugged the RC-As into the power
supply. The RC-As were eventually positioned closer together than
normal for my theater setup, the inside edges were just over 67 inches
apart. I positioned the speakers firing straight ahead with no toe-in,
approximately three feet from the front wall. The CM502 was positioned
under my projection screen, angled up slightly, and the 302s were
flanking and slightly behind my listening position.

Music and MoviesFrom
the depths of my music collection, I pulled one that I had not heard
for a while, Michael Penn’s March (RCA Records). The track “This and
That” is an intimate recording with great imaging. The track’s simple
guitar and drums provided pinpoint imaging of the instruments. Although
not a surprise to me, any time a speaker nails a soundstage image, it’s
exciting. The great imaging continued with the track “No Myth.” This
track features a larger recording space and the Cantons portrayed this
venue with an abundance of detail and impact. Again, as with the track
“This and That,” the vocals, percussion and guitar were realistically
portrayed as though I was listening to Penn in a small nightclub.

I
then stepped up the dynamics with Paula Cole’s This Fire (Warner
Brothers). The song “Tiger” begins fairly mellow but has a very dynamic
bass line that begins about 40 seconds into the track. The Cantons were
able to handle this load with great aplomb. I listened to this track at
a level slightly above moderate and had no problems at all with dynamic
compression. The difficult low end was as deep and detailed as I have
ever heard in my room. The definition and texture brought the bass line
to life. The soundstage, as with the Michael Penn recording, was both
deep and detailed. Female vocals were clearly portrayed without any
artifacts of chestiness or annoying edge. The RC-As provided a very
musical and engaging listening experience.

Now
that I knew the Cantons could handle themselves with relatively simple
vocals tracks, I next listened to Pink Floyd’s much more complex Dark
Side of the Moon on CD (Harvest Records/Mobile Fidelity). The recording
opens with the heartbeat in “Speak to Me” and then breaks into
“Breathe.” Listening through the Cantons, I could hear clocks ticking
well outside the outer edges of the speakers as the beat of Mason’s
drums grew progressively stronger, becoming palpable before breaking
into lush voices and instrumentals that formed a solid sonic wall,
extending slightly beyond the outer edges of the speakers.

I did note that the cash register and coin sound effects on “Money”
were slightly harsh at high volume. However, this harshness never came
through the aggressive instrumentals at anything approaching normal
listening levels. AudioRevolution.com publisher Jerry Del Colliano
suggested this is not the case on the James Guthrie remixed hybrid SACD
on either the CD layer or the SACD multi-channel mix. Back on the Dark
Side CD, the opening guitar riff was solid, powerful and well placed in
the soundstage. The bass guitar is also well defined, with a good sense
of weight and detail. Dick Parry’s saxophone work was clearly portrayed
and imaged incredibly without any harshness at normal volumes. I
cranked the stereo up until I thought the neighbors were sure to come
running over and I am pleased to say the Cantons shone like crazy
diamonds.

During
the course of my review, I picked up a copy of Norah Jones’ Come Away
With Me (Blue Note SACD). Jones’ voice was dynamically palpable in the
opening track “Don’t Know Why.” The Cantons portrayed a soundstage that
put Jones and her band in the room with me. The images were
three-dimensional and solidly situated on the soundstage. The next
track, “Seven Years,” featured some very clean percussion that the
Cantons reproduced with detail, depth and good natural decay.

An
old favorite, Lyle Lovett’s Joshua Judges Ruth (DTS), served up a
challenge for the Cantons with a demanding bass track,. The opening
bass line on “I’ve Been to Memphis” was not as deep as I heard with a
dedicated subwoofer, but the Cantons sounded incredibly detailed in the
bass. I heard more detail in the bass region with the Cantons than on
most other systems, no doubt due in part to leaner and more detailed
voicing. The vocals were accurate, with Lovett’s voice as clear and
distinct as ever. On the track “Church,” my listening impressions were
further confirmed. The extensive bass lines were reproduced with great
detail and dimensionality, but with slightly less weight than normal.
“Church” features a wonderfully layered choir section that is
reproduced in both the main and surround channels. Listening carefully
to the choir in the Ergo 302s, I was easily able to pick out individual
voices that matched their portrayal in the RC-As. The voicing was
consistent between the Ergo 302s and RC-As making for smooth pans. The
Ergo 302s are substantial speakers in their own right and would be
well-suited as main channel speakers in a smaller room.

I
then listened to Insane Clown Posse’s The Wraith: Shangri-La
(DVD-Audio, DTS, Riviera Entertainment). The track “Ain’t Yo Bidness”
featured bass that was both outrageously deep and powerful on the one
hand and taught and detailed on the other. I found all of the vocals to
be resolute, sounding like they were emanating from a physical
presence. This track also made good use of the surround channels, which
were consistent in their sonic portrayal.

Watching
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (Warner Home Video), I saw that
Chapter 19’s Quidditch match further tested the Ergo system as a whole,
with the characters flying all around the 360-degree soundstage. I had
no problems following the individuals from channel to channel as they
flew about and their sonic signatures remained intact as they traveled.

I then listened to some scenes in “Finding Nemo” (Disney) that I used
in a recent subwoofer review. In Chapter 8, when Dory and Marlin meet
Bruce the shark, I noticed that the bass from the Canton system at
least equaled the MartinLogan Descent in detail, but did not match its
weight when the LFE channel output was calibrated to the same level as
the Descent. The Cantons were still able to provide a visceral impact,
as the minefield explosion proved later in the scene. As before, the
bass was extremely tight and detailed, but it did not shake the room to
the same degree as I have heard from a quality off-board sub.

The DownsideThe
Cantons are hard to fault sonically as full-range speakers. They
behaved fantastically well at moderate listening levels. It was only
when they were pushed to obscene concert level volumes that I found
them to exhibit an ever-so-slight harshness in the upper midrange
level. The bass reproduction was first class. I doubt many enthusiasts,
especially those in small to medium-sized rooms, will feel that the
RC-As need additional bass reinforcement. In fact, when I listened to
the RCAs without a subwoofer in a 5.1 surround system, I was not left
wanting for bass with any 5.1 music, but with action movies I
appreciated the extra low end “oomph” available from a quality
subwoofer, such as the recently reviewed MartinLogan Descent.

I would also recommend keeping the rear-mounted toggle switch in the
“on” position, rather than on “auto.” I found that when the switch was
in the “auto” position and the system was at a low volume level, I
could hear the relays switching on and off.

ConclusionThe
Canton Ergo system is easy to recommend. The RC-As are the smallest
speakers I have had in any of my review systems with truly deep and
articulate bass. I found listening to the Ergos sans subwoofer to
produce an incredibly clean and coherent sound field. It was only on
some of the explosion-type scenes in a cranked-up action flick that I
noticed the lack of impact that I have come to enjoy with the best
subwoofer systems.

The Ergo system’s neutral and
natural sound, including the deep and accurate bass, make it a worthy
contender for both two- and multi-channel sound systems. I strongly
recommend a close listen for those in the market for speakers in this
size and price range, especially if you seek clean, deep and coherent
bass response. The Ergos can hang with serious competition from
B&W, Revel, MartinLogan and even Wilson, in some cases at a lower
cost.